Portlander Colin O’Brady and Crew Become First to Cross Treacherous Drake Passage Unassisted

“By the end, we all lost a good amount of weight and were delirious from the sleep deprivation.”

Iceberg in Drake Passage (W. Bulach/Wikimedia)
By Elise Herron

Last month, Portland adventurer Colin O'Brady and a crew of five others became the first to cross the Drake Passage—one of the most treacherous waterways in the world—with no mechanical assistance.

Related: The Portland Man Who Crossed Antarctica Solo Is About to Embark on Another "Impossible" Expedition

The 600-mile trip off the southern tip of South America took the crew 13 days to complete, Time reported. The crew had to row non-stop in order to keep from capsizing, so throughout the trek, three rowed for 90 minutes while the other three rested.

"It was quite harrowing," O'Brady told The Associated Press. "By the end, we all lost a good amount of weight and were delirious from the sleep deprivation."

O'Brady also made history in 2018 by becoming the first person to cross Antarctica alone, without any kind of propulsion.

The other men in the Drake Passage crew included Jamie Douglas-Hamilton of Scotland, Fiann Paul of Iceland, Cameron Bellamy of South Africa, Andrew Towne of North Dakota and John Petersen of California.

Douglas-Hamilton told Time that at one point during the crossing, a strap used to anchor his ankles while rowing cut through his boots and skin all the way down to his bone.

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A MOMENT I’LL NEVER FORGET - I’d never approached Antarctica by sea before, only by air. And when you approach by air, you’re in a giant heavy plane with no windows. Your first glimpse of Antarctica is as you exit the plane, and you’re there, in the interior. For this reason, the exact first moment we saw the coast of Antarctica slowly appear on the horizon after being on the rowboat for nearly two weeks was a stunning and dramatic moment I will never forget. It’s something I want to share with the world. Every cry for joy, the last few strokes of the oars, the spray of the ocean off the coast as we were mere feet away - it’s all so vivid still, even today. The last digital episode of The Impossible Row was just released! Link in my bio to watch. The episode details those last few moments, as well our thoughts a week after finishing when we were back in Chile, the boat touching land, our team celebration and so much more. It was honor to share this adventure with these other five incredible guys. I will cherish these moments as a band of brothers forever. While this is the last mid form digital episode of The Impossible Row, @Discovery is producing a feature length documentary which will be released later this year. There is a ton of footage that’s never been seen - you’re going to want to tune in! #BePossible #TheImpossibleRow

A post shared by Colin O'Brady (@colinobrady) on

Discovery followed O'Brady and the others throughout the expedition and footage of the passage can be viewed here.

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